2001 Nissan Pathfinder Electrical System Problems

IN APRIL 2019, I WAS DRIVING AT ABOUT 55 MPH TOWING A SMALL TRAILER IN THE RIGHT MOST LANE OF A 3 LANE HIGHWAY. AS I APPROACHED A HILL, THE PATHFINDER SUDDENLY SMELLED LIKED SOMETHING WAS ON FIRE AND THE ENGINE STOPPED RUNNING. I MANAGED TO PULL OFF THE HIGHWAY AND COAST TO A STOP ON THE SHOULDER. THE BURNING SMELL LASTED ABOUT 5 MINUTES, BUT I COULD NOT TELL WHERE THE SOURCE WAS AT THE TIME. I RAN SEVERAL DIAGNOSTIC TESTS, INCLUDING ECU CODES, BUT DID NOT FIND ANYTHING INDICATIVE OF A PROBLEM OF THIS NATURE. IN JANUARY 2020, I ATTEMPTED TO START THE VEHICLE AFTER REPLACING SEVERAL WORN OUT DRIVETRAIN COMPONENTS (CLUTCH, ENGINE, RADIATOR, ENGINE GASKETS) AND FOUND THAT IT WOULD NOT START. I FOUND A BURNED OUT FUSE TO THE ECCS2, 10 AMP CIRCUIT. I REPLACED THE FUSE AND IMMEDIATELY NOTICED THAT THERE WAS SMOKE COMING FROM UNDERNEATH THE DASHBOARD EVEN THOUGH THE VEHICLE WAS NOT ON OR RUNNING AT THE TIME. AGAIN THE SMOKE LASTED SEVERAL MINUTES. THIS TIME I WAS ABLE TO SEE SMOKE COMING FROM THE COMPUTER CASING OF THE VEHICLE'S ECU. I DISCONNECTED THE BATTERY IMMEDIATELY AND REMOVED THE ECU FROM THE VEHICLE. I DISCOVERED A BURNED CHIP INSIDE. AFTER SEVERAL HOURS OF RESEARCH, I WAS ABLE TO IDENTIFY THE CAUSE AND LEARN THAT THIS HAPPENS TO MANY OTHER MODELS OF NISSAN VEHICLES OF SIMILAR YEAR MODEL. THE CAUSE IS ALWAYS THE SAME - THE IDLE AIR CONTROL VALVE SEALS FAIL, THEN WATER GETS INSIDE THE ELECTRIC IACV MOTOR AND WHEN THE ECU TRIES TO COMPENSATE FOR THE IACV FAILURE, IT OVERLOADS THE ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT AND SHORTS OUT THIS PARTICULAR CHIP. SOME PEOPLE HAVE REPORTED SPENDING SEVERAL THOUSAND DOLLARS TO HAVE NISSAN REPLACE PARTS AND REPAIR THEIR ECU AS THESE VEHICLES ARE NOW OUT OF WARRANTY.

NISSAN HAS A SERIOUS PROBLEM WITH FAULTY IGNITION COILS. MY CAR SUDDENLY BEGAN TO SHAKE WHEN THE IGNITION COIL FAILED. THE ONLINE PETITION BELOW SHOWS THAT THIS IS A WIDESPREAD WITH NISSAN AND IT SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED. HTTP://WWW.PETITIONONLINE.COM/NIS_IGN/PETITION.HTML *JB

CD PLAYER IN 2001 NISSAN PATHFINDER WILL NOT WORK PROPERLY, IT WILL ONLY CLICK. I HAVE DISCOVERED FROM THE INTERNET NUMEROUS SIMILAR COMPLAINTS ABOUT AUDIO COMPONENTS.*JB

MY COMPLAINT IS QUITE THE SAME AS I CAN SEE ALL READY LISTED ON THIS SITE. I HAVE A 2001 NISSAN PATHFINDER WHICH I PURCHASED IN 2004. I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE MY SWAY BAR WHICH NO ONE ESPECIALLY THE DEALER KNOWS HOW IT GOT BENT AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. MY 6CD BOSE CHANGER ALSO SHUT DOWN ON ME IN 2007 JUST STOP WORKING AND NOT EJECTING CDS AND DOING A CLICK CLICK NOISE ALL THE TIME I HAVE TWO CDS IN THERE I CAN NOT REMOVE OR GET OUT. ACCORDING TO NISSAN THEY DON'T HANDLE THESE ISSUES AND DO NOT FIX THEM THEY REPLACE THE WHOLE CD CHANGER FOR $700-$800. THIS IS A CONTINUOUS PROBLEM AND ISSUE WITH THEM AND THEIR SISTER COMPANIES WITH THE BOSE SYSTEM THE VEHICLES ARE PROVIDED WITH WHEN YOU PURCHASE THEM. YOU DO NOT ORDER THE SYSTEM IT COMES WITH THE VEHICLE BUT THEY WONT ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY NOR FIX IT. I ALSO HAD THE ENGINE LIGHT PROBLEM AND TOOK TO A MECHANIC WHOM STATED WAS THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER CODE ON THE DIAGNOSTIC TEST AND HAD TO TAKE TO NISSAN BECAUSE THEY WOULD NOT TOUCH THE VEHICLE AND WAS STILL UNDER MANUFACTURER WARRANTY BEING UNDER 80,000. QUOTE PER NISSAN ALL IT WAS IS AN ELECTRICAL COMPUTER UPGRADE CODE. NEEDED TO UPGRADE MY ELECTRICAL COMPUTER SOFTWARE?????? THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON THEN WENT OFF WITHIN A COUPLE OF WEEKS AND THEN CAME BACK ON AND STAYED ON AND NEVER SHUT OFF UNTIL NISSAN REPROGRAMMED THE SYSTEM. I ALSO HAD MY MUFFLER FALL COMPLETELY OFF FROM THE BACK END UP UNTIL THE MIDDLE PART. WAS TOTALLY RUSTED AND CAME RIGHT OFF AND OF COURSE IT FELL OFF RIGHT AFTER NISSAN PASSED ME FOR MY INSPECTION W/ EMISSIONS 30 DAYS PRIOR??? I SEE ALL THESE COMPLAINTS AND FOR YEARS AND NOTHING BEING DONE NOR ARE THEY TAKING CARE OF ANYTHING THAT IS OBVIOUSLY REPETITIOUS ON THE SITE ALL THE SAME COMMON COMPLAINTS BUT YET NISSAN NOT DOING ANYTHING NOR THIS SITE TO HELP US CONSUMERS AND HAVE NISSAN TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR ALL OF THIS. *TR

THE WINDOWS ON MY 2001 NISSAN PATHFINDER GET SLOWER AND SLOWER UNTIL THEY BARELY WORK. WHILE THE CAR WAS UNDER WARRANTY THEY LUBED THE WINDOWS AND SENT ME BACK OUT UNTIL IT HAPPENED A FEW MONTHS LATER, AGAIN AND AGAIN. NOW THEY SAY THEY WILL CHARGE ME BECAUSE I AM OUT OF WARRANTY. THEY SAY THERE IS NO PERMANENT FIX FOR THE PROBLEM. THEY SAY THAT THE DRY CONDITIONS IN ARIZONA IS CAUSING IT TO ALL PATHFINDERS. I TOLD THEM OTHER BRANDS OF CARS SEEM TO BE FINE. THEY SAID THEY DO NOT PLAN ON DOING ANYTHING ABOUT THE PROBLEM AND I WILL HAVE TO PAY FOR ALL FUTURE LUBE REPAIRS. NISSAN TOLD ME THEY HAVE BEEN AWARE OF THE PROBLEM FOR AWHILE.

ALL INSTRUMENT GAUGES INCLUDING SPEEDOMETER, ODOMETER, TACHOMETER, GAS GAUGE, ENGINE TEMP GAUGE, 4 WHEEL DRIVE INDICATOR, AND COMPASS FAIL TO WORK AFTER DRIVING. FIALURE IS INTERMITTENT. SERVICE DEALER HAS BEEN UNABLE TO FIX IN UNDER 30 DAYS. *AK